A World Cup With 211 Teams? FIFA Explored New U-15 Football Festival Before Dropping Private Investment Plans
24htopnews | August 21, 2026 2:08 AM CST
FIFA had explored bringing private investors into the project and turning the U-15 tournament into a major global sporting event. The proposed format was different from the senior World Cup. Matches would be shorter and played on smaller pitches.
Imagine a football tournament where every FIFA member gets a place. No qualifiers. No early exits. No country left out.
That was the idea behind a proposed FIFA Under-15 'World Cup' that could have brought together all 211 FIFA member nations in a youth football festival inspired by baseball's famous Little League World Series, as per reports from the .
But there was another big idea behind the tournament - money.
The Plan: 211 Teams, One Giant Youth Festival
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